MCKV hosts its first-ever International Film Festival – Pather Panchali
Published on: 25 Jun 2023
As a new-age school, M.C.Kejriwal Vidyapeeth regards internationalism as a key component in children's development and understanding. Over the years, the school has been offering learning engagements to our boys, which are diverse, novel, experiential and transdisciplinary in nature. Pather Panchali - the MCKV International Film Festival, was one such all- encompassing event for the students of Classes 8 – 12.
Film pedagogy is probably the most influential educational medium in the 21st century. Not only do films connect at an emotional level, but also they are the most effective instruments to accept, embrace and celebrate differences in culture and life.
On 24 and 25 June 2023, the school hosted its first ever International Film Festival where feature length films, documentaries and short films from across the world were showcased. The school basement was converted into a movie theatre. Vintage equipment and film-making gear like old cameras, reel cans, clappers were put on display adding to the ambience of the event.
The opening ceremony on 24 June 2023 was graced by our Chief Guest, Ms Sudipta Chakraborty, Actor - National Film awardee. Mr Anjan Bose, film-maker, producer and custodian of the famous Aurora Film Production Company was the Guest of Honour. Our Chairman, Mr Kishan Kumar Kejriwal, and our Director, Mr Neelkantha Gupta in their speeches highlighted how films can be adopted as a means of education and encouraged our audience to be more receptive to the infinite career options that the film industry can lead to. The official logo of the film festival was unveiled by Mr. Anjan Bose and the festival was declared open through the official clap by Ms Sudipta Chakraborty. Both our guests introduced our boys to different aspects of film-making. Award winning short films by MCKV students were also sceened.
Ms Sarmishtha Maiti and Rajdeep Paul, the National Award winning film-maker duo, were guests for the second half of the day. Engaging in informal conversation with film-makers of such experience and repute, along with understanding the craft and nuances of film-making, was truly an once-in-a lifetime opportunity for our boys.
On the second day of the festival we had the privilege of having Mr Shyamal Karmarkar, former Editor and the Head of the Department of Editing in the prestigious Satyajit Ray Film Institute, Kolkata, and Mr Sekhar Das, film-maker and actor with us. The remarkable Q&A sessions and discussions between our guests and students created a space for genuine and compelling conversations.
Besides initiating the students to the magic of cinema and the different aspects of film-making, this two-day extravaganza was an unforgettable multi-disciplinary learning experience for our boys.
